NWF Baseball wins conference debut over Gulf Coast, 10-6

PANAMA CITY, FL - The Northwest Florida State College baseball program traveled to Gulf Coast on Wednesday for their first taste of Panhandle action this season.  The host Commodores had already played a conference series, having taken three games out of four from Pensacola, and the Raiders were looking to acclimated to league play.  Thanks to a terrific offensive effort, combined with effective pitching, the Raiders were able to start their Panhandle campaign with a bang behind a 10-6 victory over Gulf Coast.  The win improves Northwest Florida's record to 20-7 overall and 1-0 in conference.

The Raiders were first to get in the scoring column, setting the tone early in the game with crooked number scoring frames in each of the first three innings.  NWF raced out to a 7-3 lead after 3, thanks in large part to 3-run HR by Cade Easterbrook and the top of the lineup getting on base from Blake Cavill and Cherokee Nichols. 

The Commodores, however, would not go quietly. Gulf Coast put pressure on starting pitcher Caleb Reis and eventually plated 6 runs against the veteran Raider right-hander. Reis was able to get timely outs in tough situations by striking out eight Commodore batters in 5 and two-thirds innings of work.  Freshman reliever Jacob Phillips got the ball next and completely shut the door on Gulf Coast the rest of way home.

Nichols led the Raiders at the plate with 3 hits and 4 RBIs while Easterbrook, Dalton McNamara, and Cavill added two hits apiece. 

The Raiders will travel back to Gulf Coast on Thursday for a 5:00 PM start before returning home on Saturday to host the Commodores to wrap up the series with a doubleheader that starts at 1:00 PM. 

For more information on Northwest Florida State athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow @NWFRaiders on Twitter.